When Xypherous was creating Riven's character, her backstory was a little different. In her former backstory, she was a Demacian who was exiled for rescuing Noxian refugees from Demacian persecution.

After Riven's backstory was changed to being a Noxian, Xypherous took some inspiration from the Japanese manga/anime series Rurouni Kenshin, particularly from the character Seta Sōjirō, the Heaven's Sword.[1]

Her story is also reminiscent of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings saga; Aragorn was exiled with a broken sword which was reforged in his path to defeat Sauron and recover his kingdom.

Xypherous states that the theme he and Riot were going for with Riven was, "Noxus is broken, but through my will and the fight - Noxus can be remade."[2]

Riven's name and title is likely reference to the Myst series of games, the second and third games being named "Riven" and "Exile", respectively.

Riven's backstory and name also resemble Revan from the game Knights Of the Old Republic. In the sequel Knights Of the Old Republic 2 the main character is called The Exile.

Cristina Valenzuela also recorded the English version of Touhou's Bad Apple with lyrics that closely reflect Riven. This may or may not be a coincidence.

Xypherous has stated that the original pitch for Riven was "gooder than good".[3]

Riven's skill set is inspired by Marth's move set from the game Super Smash Bros. Melee.[4] Marth's character is originally from Intelligent Systems' Fire Emblem series.

Riven was codenamed "Marth" during her design phase.

While most of her "Marth move sets" ended up not being used, her Broken Wings mirrors Marth's Dancing Blade.

After the release of Riven's "Champion Sneak Peek", there was a preview of her appearance in PC Gamer Magazine.

When her "Champion Sneak Peek" was originally posted, Riven's title was "The Exile", but was later changed into "The Shattered Exile". Her title has since been changed back to being "The Exile" in her "A New Champion Approaches".

Riven's "A New Champion Approaches" page was leaked accidentally in the announcements forum, but was then quickly replaced by the Golden Joystick Awards 2011 post.

Riven's Quote "A broken blade is more than enough for the likes of you!" is similar to Bleach's main character Ichigo Kurosaki who say "A dull blade is more than enough for the likes of you!" when battling Grand Fisher.

Her sword can be seen in the preview video of the Mac Version of League of Legends.

Redeemed Riven is likely a reference to her former backstory in which Riven was an exile from Demacia. Her armor appears similar to that of some Demacian champions.

Riven's sword for her Redeemed skin has a turqoise-colored light outlining the area it was shattered.

After Riven's release, her Redeemed Splash Art showed her having blue-colored clothing while in game her clothing was teal-colored. This was fixed to where both the Splash Art and the in-game skin showed her having teal-colored clothing.

Redeemed Riven also has a concept art showing her clothing with red color. This version bears a striking resemblance to War from the Darksiders games.

It was first featured as part of Riot's Urf Day/April Fools Day celebrations. It was viewable in Riven's in-game profile for that day, labeled 'Unavailable'. The game was later patched to remove it from view.

During an Ionian ambush on Noxian troops, Singed launched a barrage of "biochemical terror" on both forces. Ionians and Noxians alike fell victim to an unspeakably gruesome fate - and Riven, the sole survivor, watched them die around her. This incident led Riven to wander in self-imposed exile, seeking atonement for her involvement and searching for her own way to serve the pure Noxian vision in which she believed.

In the new League of Legends website, Riven is listed as Varus' rival. This suggests that she was directly involved in the assault of Varus' village during Noxus' invasion of Ionia.

It is implied that Riven may have been the killer of the Ionian elder that Yasuo was supposed to protect.